The Gamer - 25th Baam Edition!
by Moratorium19
Summary: [Error! Due to unorthodox process, erratic behavior has been detected. Trying to fix… Fixing failed! Calling game designer… …. ….. Timeout. Fetching adequate substitute… Found 25th Baam. Bestowing designer rights… Bestowal complete. Class updated (N/A - Axis - Game designer) ] Then, Baam's senses were overloaded and the last thing he saw was a rabbit watching him with interest.
1. Prologue: 404 - Designer not found

The high colorful wheat tickled his chin and the hot and moist earth below warmed the sole of his feet comfortably. Baam walked without knowing where he was going, his hands pushing away ears of wheat standing before him carelessly. Scarecrows were scattered here and there, though no crows cried nor any bird flew in the cerulean sky. No insect buzzed and no worm writhed in the soil.

The sun shone but the heat was not stifling, at most an enjoyable sensation which brought him warmth and made him want to lay back and sunbathe. The warm wind blew calmly, caressing the boy's long chestnut-colored hair who combed them with his fingers when they bothered his vision.

He did not know where he was going, but he knew he had to carry on. And as his footsteps led him through fields, forests, rivers and swamps, he was more and more convinced. He had a mission. He did not know who ordered him nor the goal of the mission, but he knew he had to go on, abandoning the weight weighing him down. Even father. Even higher.

He reached a vale when he took a big breather. Since some time ago (he could not quantify if it was minutes, hours or days,) his heart ached. It was not a physical pain like a cramp, but a more insidious one. As if it were a puncture emptying him little by little of what made him Baam. Instead, this pain filled him with unrivaled power.

He reached the mountains, with their steep peaks, the permanent snow high up and the rushing rivers below. As he climbed the tallest mountain, his chest got tighter, as if it were a vice crushing his ribcage. But still, power accumulated inside him, strengthening his muscles, making him more agile, stronger, and almost omnipotent.

As he crossed the last few meters separating him from the peak, the sun was nowhere to be seen, so much so that the inky sky was dotted with stars which shone like diamonds on a crown.

He was huffing and puffing now, his chest so tight it was a wonder he could still breathe. His naked feet were frozen, this coldness reminding him of the one inside his chest. His legs could carry his weight no more and he fell on his butt.

He noticed that the ground behind him was slightly upraised, like he was afoot a mound. Baam did not know why, but something made him clear out this icy mound. What he saw froze the blood inside his veins.

Buried under the snow, a human body. It was half rotten, the skull visible through the emaciated skin.

Suddenly the corpse opened its eyes. Baam recoiled in shock. The corpse smiled. It was a smile missing some teeth, and Baam thought he even saw maggots eating the rotten gums. The corpse's (it was a girl, he noticed) jaw shook and a high and cold laugh echoed in the atmosphere, propagating below and rising in sound waves toward the stars.

"Do I disgust you?" asked the animated corpse.

Baam's throat wound tighter. He did not know what the person was saying, but he had the distinct feeling it was not good.

Once more, the girl laughed. Her lips stretched in a grimace which made the already visible freckles on her pale skin stand out further.

"Ah, it's true this shape is not the most good looking one. But it's your fault you know?" said the girl in a sulking tone while she frowned.

Baam opened his mouth.

"Guh?" he said eloquently. If only he could communicate with her!

The girl's face became angry. "Yes, guh, it's your fault. Because you wanted to climb ever higher. Do you know what this mountain you're standing on is made of?"

Baam did not understand what she said, but his eyes looked downwards, toward the frozen ground when the girl's eyes did.

With shaking hands, Baam cleared out the snow, broke down the ice and he found another corpse. And another. The whole mountain was made of heaped corpses between layers of snow and hardened ice. Atop the mountain, looking at him disdainfully and with a tone as cold as the ground underfoot, the girl said:

"You understand now? Is it lonely at the top? **Little monster**."

Baam's eyes snapped wide open as he awoke with a jolt. His breathing was uneven and his forehead was gleaming with sweat. His ample clothings were stuck to his skin uncomfortably. He wiped his burning forehead with his cotton robe as he did his best to calm his erratic breathing. A harsh pain in his chest made him massage his heart. This phantom pain reminded him of his dream. He remembered this dream so perfectly that he could have describe it in details had he the vocabulary to do so. It was the same dream he dreamt of each time he fell asleep.

He did not know who the girl with the freckles was, but he knew he had to leave this place. This place would make him crazy. Perhaps he already was. The stifling darkness, the frightening silence and the crippling loneliness. Everything was set to make a man certifiably insane.

"Argu? Littla Monstru?" He repeated the nightmare's words awkwardly, the words bruising his throat whose vocal chords were largely unused.

He pointed toward his own chest with his thumb.

"No little monster!" He shook his head vehemently, the bangs reaching his lower back flying with the movement.

His head now clear, he got up, dusting off his robe. The contact of his naked feet with the wet and flat stone below made him shiver, but he was not discouraged. He walked and walked, observing with interest the carvings on the rock which made up the corridor leading to the Gate.

The Gate was mysterious. He had not managed to make it move, no matter how he tried to.

The carvings depicted fantastic scenes, odd and folkloric creatures. Something vibrated in his chest as he contemplated the jaw of a powerful anthropomorphic crocodile devouring its prey. This vibration spread along his organs, so much so he had the distinct feeling he was some sort of human bumblebee. Finally, the shaking stopped and in front of his unbelieving eyes, letters appeared forming a message… which he understood.

[Synchronization done]

[Loading language pack… Loading complete. Backpropagating translation…. Patching done]

[Loading basic back. Gamer's Body Lv. MAX and Gamer's Mind loaded]

[Welcome to the Tower of God universe. It's a wonderful universe filled with secrets and exciting adventures aplenty!]

[Choose the difficulty:

-Regular

-Ranker (Category I bonus)

-High ranker (Category II bonus)

-Irregular (Category III bonus)

]

What difficulty should he chose? Baam though he should choose the difficulty with the best bonus, no? Naively, he selected the Irregular difficulty with a thought.

[Thank you for having chosen the Irregular difficulty. As an irregular, you possess the highest growth, but you will also be hunted down in the whole Tower by Jahad's empire. You will also have a hard time finding allies, and more than 20 of the 50 most powerful persons of the universe will automatically consider you an enemy. Status updated. To observe your status, simply think 'Status' and the page shall appear]

Sweat dripped down Baam's temple. That was a bad sign, right? He started to panic but suddenly his troubled mind got appeased. It was simple. He simply needed to be strong enough to fight them off. To be smart enough to avoid the traps they would lay. Charismatic enough to gather allies in case of a numerical disadvantage.

'Status' thought Baam. White writings on a blue square materialized in front of him.

 **[Name: 25th Baam**

 **Race: Human**

 **Class: N/A**

 **HP: 150/150**

 **SP: 5000/5000**

 **Baangs: Locked**

 **Strength (STR): 5**

 **Constitution (CON): 5**

 **Dexterity (DEX): 5**

 **Intellect (INT): 12**

 **Wisdom (WIS): 3**

 **Charisma (CHA): 10**

 **Skills:**

 **Shinsu Manipulation (Locked)**

 **Shinsu Resistance (Irregular X/X)**

 **Traits:**

 **Consumerist (Grade I): Can absorb any skill if hit once with them**

]

Baam sighed. He had no idea if those were good stats or not, since he had no basis of comparison. Wait, that was not necessarily true. There were three stats with the value of '5', while the others varied greatly. It meant… perhaps, 5 was the default value, something from a regular person?

 **[For having thought things through and having reached a correct logical conclusion, WIS increased by 1!]**

Great! Baam thought enthusiastically. Before he could ponder further on how to raise up his other stats, a new blue screen appeared in front of him.

 **[Select a campaign:**

 **Main campaign (0/?)**

 **Tower conquest (0/X – Locked)**

 **Future (0.1% - Locked)**

 **]**

Without much choice (since the other two choices were locked,) he chose the main campaign.

 **[Now that everything is settled, we will begin the teleportation to the Tower. We hope you find the experience enjoyable, don't hesitate to give us some feedback, it will help us improve the user experience. Enjoy yourself! Teleportation begins in 3. 2. 1….]**

Then, something fundamentally wrong happened. A flurry of messages in white bold writing against a red screen appeared before Baam's eyes as his surroundings morphed.

 **[Warning! Starting Main Scenario without Event (25BMR). Time process has malfunctioned. Aborting… Cannot abort (reason: instance currently running) – Forced resuming. Fixing ephemeris. Altering timeline. Patching 53% done. Cannot proceed further. Unhandled Error! Dumping stack trace log… ]**

 **[Warning! Process crashed before loading main characters backstories complete. Khun Aguero Agnis dumped at 5%. Trying to retrieve storyline. Retrieval failed! Injecting new storyline… Patch complete. Applying patches to other main characters…]**

 **[Warning! Process crashed before loading Jahad data. Jahad data file corrupted. Deleting. Creating new Emperor… Creation failed ]**

 **[Error! Due to unorthodox process, erratic behavior has been detected. Trying to fix… Fixing failed! Calling game designer… …. ….. Timeout. Fetching adequate substitute… Found 25** **th** **Baam. Bestowing designer rights… Bestowal complete. Class updated (N/A - Axis - Game designer) ]**

Then, Baam's senses were overloaded and the last thing he saw was a rabbit watching him with interest before darkness consumed him.


	2. Down the rabbit hole!

Baam woke up feeling relaxed and well rested. There was a huge blanket covering his body and keeping it warm.

 **[Comfortable King-Sized bed (+1)**

 **A comfortable bed which improves resting efficiency. +55% to HP and SP recovery while lying in bed. +55% to satisfaction rating.]**

The bubble of information appeared in front of Baam. He still did not know what HP and SP were, though!

There was also a **[Bedside Table]** with a **[Glass of fresh fruit juice (+2)]** on it. The room he was in was a 30 square meter one with baby blue walls and a window through which a pastoral landscape could be seen. There was a **[Douglas Fir Door (+2)]** which, besides augmenting the house's **Security** by five points, brought him some intimacy. Also, there was a **[Bookshelf]** filled with books of all kinds, colors, and sizes against the wall opposite the window.

Other than that, the room lacked all the trinkets and personal touches a normal habitation might have.

The doors handle turned and the kind of rabbit creature he had seen before he lost consciousness stepped inside, carrying a tray filled with **[Tasty Biscuits]**.

He got a notification that his **[Observe]** skill upgraded to Level 2, which was good, he guessed.

"Oh, you're awake?" the rabbit asked with interest.

"Ah, yes, I feel better now," Baam said.

The rabbit smirked, its eyes (which were located inside its mouth) narrowing as it did.

"You can understand me?"

"Yes?" Baam did not know why that was surprising.

The rabbit said nothing. It simply laid the tray on the bedside table beside the glass of juice.

"Eat up. You must be hungry. By the way, it is customary to thank your host for taking such great care of you."

Baam who had a biscuit halfway toward his mouth froze. Then, he blushed while he said timidly. "I did not know. Do you have a book on manners?" he asked bluntly.

The rabbit scratched its jaw. "I do have a book titled 'Tower Customs'. Would that be alright?"

Baam nodded with a beaming smile. When the rabbit brought the book which it removed from the bookshelf, **[Tower Customs – Vol. 1],** Baam was offered the opportunity to instantly learn its contents. A simple message of "Would you like to learn?" and Baam thinking yes was enough. Knowledge rushed into his head, filling it with complicated ideas like what kind of gifts one should give for a birthday.

"Ah, thank you very much Rabbit-nim. I am sorry for my behavior," Baam said, bowing his head in apology.

The rabbit was watching him with bubbling excitement. "You know the contents of the book without reading it? If so, allow me to test you. What is the customary way to greet the administrator of the 54th Floor?"

And Baam answered perfectly.

"You are an irregular who just entered the tower for the first time. I cannot see how you can know this information. Either you had some help from other irregulars, which I doubt, or you possess a very mysterious skill."

The rabbit took out a rod from who knows where and twirled it in the air.

 **[? ? ?]** Baam tried to read the item description but all he got was question marks. It seemed his **[Observation - Lv.2]** was not enough to gather information about the artifact.

"My name is Headon. I am a free agent and facilitator between the great families. I am also in charge of recruiting Regulars in the residential areas."

"Regulars? Irregular? What does it mean, Headon-nim?" Baam was puzzled.

"Ah, instead of explaining, just wait a second." Headon fetched another book, this one called **[All you need to know about the Tower – Vol. 1]** , which Baam consumed.

Once he was done, Baam looked at Headon with wonder.

"Why is there such a prejudice against irregulars?"

Headon grinned. "Because power frightens the masses. Irregulars have always brought great changes to the tower. Many of the persons following the old ways are scared of change. Also, people have always feared what they don't understand, and their monstrous strength is incomprehensible. Now, I believe I should do my job and administer the test to climb to the next floor, Mr. Irregular."

"A test?"

Headon nodded as he walked toward the room's exit, fully expecting Baam to follow, which he did.

"As you certainly know from the last book you assimilated, the Tower is divided into floors, each of which is ruled by a Guardian, or Administrator. The great families have appointed high rankers - people of tremendous power - to administer the test on the Guardians behalf."

"Ah, I meant to ask, Headon-nim. I saw no mention of Emperor Jahad in the book."

"Emperor who?" Headon cocked his head.

Baam bit his lip, before releasing it and speaking without confidence. "I-Is there no-one who rules the Tower?"

Now they had reached a grassy plain enclosed by tall fences. A gate led to the entrance of this closed off area, which they stepped through. When they stopped, somewhere near the center of the pen, Headon spoke.

"There is no one who rules over the 12 Monarchs. The mere thought of someone ruling over them is preposterous. Now, are you ready for your test?"

Baam nodded quickly. This bore further watching, but there was not much he could do as of right now.

Grinning sinisterly, Headon waved his staff and a construct of Shinsoo materialized. It took the shape of a hare which bounced around excitedly. Baam observed it with wonder and astonishment. Was this some kind of magic power?

Headon twirled his staff once more. "The only way to leave this place is to catch this Shinsoo Hare."

Baam's eyes widened. That seemed… deceptively simple. Surely the test was not that easy?

Headon retreated and closed the gate behind him with a wave of his hand. Baam jumped when it closed with an ominous booming sound.

Baam walked toward the hare but when he bended over to pick it up, it leapt away, wagging its tail. After it happened three more times, Baam became slightly frustrated. The fifth time, he leapt forward and made a big circle with his hands, but still the hare managed to escape at the last moment by jumping out of his embrace.

Seemingly bored with just escaping at the last moment, the hare decided to simply run when Baam approached. After ten minutes of running in a circle trying to catch it, Baam had to catch his breath. He was about to lose his heart when a blue box appeared.

 **[Through repetition of a specific action (running), a stat has been created. Agility +1 ]**

 **[Through repetition of a specific action (working out), a stat has been improved. Constitution +1]**

Baam beamed.

Meanwhile, Headon observed Baam with a chilling grin. This was the right test for this boy. While normally, he would have simply given the boy an almost impossible task and called it a day, he was led to change his mind upon revelation of the boy's strange power.

"Quite a cruel test you have administered, Mr. First floor Guardian," a new voice called out.

Headon's eyes narrowed as his mouth formed a grim line. "And? What can I do to help you, Young Miss Ha?"

Yuri Ha scoffed but ignored the slight, focusing on the main subject. "I felt a disturbance so I asked Evan to lead me to its source. What do you hope to accomplish by using such a test?"

Headon glared at her.

"While I appreciate you reviewing the test material I administer Irregulars with, I would also appreciate you trusting in my fair judgment."

Yuri's eyes narrowed. "Fair judgment? There is a reason this kind of test is not administered until at least the third floor. Without any knowledge of Shinsoo manipulation, it is impossible. The Shinsoo Hare doesn't get tired, while the candidate does. If you can't catch it at the start you're only going to get more and more exhausted and sloppy and never catch it."

Headon chuckled mirthfully.

Yuri clucked her tongue. "Did I say something funny?"

But Headon had already his attention back on Baam, who was currently sprinting after the bouncing hare.

"Just watch," the rabbit said.

Yuri frowned, not seeing the cause for such a reaction from the Guardian. Then, after ten minutes of boring scrutinizing, her eyes widened.

"He's getting faster?"

Headon simply grinned with satisfaction.

Baam huffed and puffed. His oversized robe/shirt was grimy and stuck to his body by sweat. With his eyes narrowed in determination, he put every single muscle and nerve in his body into the task of catching the Shinsoo hare. The construct bounced away as fast as its short legs could carry it, and seemed to be gaining some terrain on him when he activated his skill.

" **[Sprint]!** " Baam shouted.

This level 4 skill was enough to close in on the hare. He leapt forward, hands outstretched which was similar to his other failed attempts. The hare jumped at the last moment narrowly escaping his grasp. It simply jumped vertically to avoid him. Baam put one hand on the grassy ground using it as a pivot, rotated his body midair, and like lightning his other hand reached out. Finally! He managed to grab it by the back of its neck.

As he held it by the scruff triumphantly, a notification which made him smile with satisfaction appeared.

 **[Through the utilization of a combination of actions, a resulting skill has been created. Obtained Viper Strike Lv.1]  
** So, even this seemingly random hand movement became recognized by the system as a skill?

"Well done, Mr. Irregular!" Headon praised. He clapped his hands and the surroundings morphed into a huge torch-lit cavern which was the original appearance of the first floor.

"Thank you very much, Headon-nim! I learned a lot!" Baam waved enthusiastically.

Then, Baam noticed Headon and him were not the sole occupants of the room. He looked at the tall girl quizzically. Before he could question her presence here, a portal appeared in midair and a white-haired short man fell from it.

"Princess Yuri! Wait for me!" Evan Edrok, her assigned guide rushed while doing his best to hold onto his heavy backpack.

"You're too slow, Evan! The party's already over!" she berated him with a heavy frown.

Yuri combed a hand through her hair. Now, that sucked. She intended to make a good appearance in front of the little cutie pie but he had already managed to pass the test without her aid. Trying to keep the appearances up, she coughed in her hand.

"That was not so bad, rookie – wait, what are you doing?" she said while covering her eyes with one hand. Through her spread fingers, though, she ogled the body of Baam who had just removed his grimy and wet with sweat robe.

The naked Baam looked at her in wonder. The book on tower customs he had read said it was impolite to wear dirty clothes in front of people. What it did not mention, because it was simply common sense and courtesy, was that standing naked in front of said people was even more discourteous.

"Here. Wear these," Evan said, handing him some perfectly fitting clothes.

"Now we must get going, Yuri," dragging her bodily when she tried to get a better view of Baam who had just started to put on the socks Evan handed him.

"Aaah, wait a second. Damn it Evan! What's your name?" Yuri called out to the boy.

Headon, who had just watched the spectacle unfold silently, was also intrigued.

"I'm the 25th Baam. At least that's what my status said my name is."

"Chestnut? Sounds tasty," Headon commented offhandedly.

"Damn right he is tasty. I mean look at that body! Ah, what are you doing, Evan?!"

" _We're going, princess,_ " Evan gritted out.

Evan dragged Yuri through the portal and they disappeared with a zip.

Headon chuckled. "What a colorful duo," he admitted.

Once he was fully clothed, Baam bowed. "Thank you very much once again."

"You don't need to thank me. I intended to fail you at first. But you might be the key…"

"Yes?" Baam asked, not understanding the last part the rabbit mumbled.

Headon waved his hand. "No, don't mind it. It's still a far off shot. Now, you're going to be transported to the next floor. I wish you plenty of luck. Some of the administrators are not as kind as I am."

Watching him ascend Headon grinned darkly.

He might be the key to unlocking the higher floors.

He had mentioned Irregulars are the catalysts to great changes in the Tower.

Now, he looked forward to seeing the heights the boy would reach.

 **[Name: 25th Baam**

 **Race: Human**

 **Class: Axis – Game designer**

 **HP: 210/200**

 **SP: 5000/5000**

 **Baangs: Locked**

 **Strength (STR): 5**

 **Constitution (CON): 11**

 **Dexterity (DEX): 9**

 **Intellect (INT): 12**

 **Wisdom (WIS): 3**

 **Charisma (CHA): 10**

 **Agility (AGI): 8**

 **Skills:**

 **Shinsoo Manipulation (Locked)**

 **Shinsoo Resistance (Irregular X/X)**

 **Sprint Lv. 4**

 **Traits:**

 **Consumerist (Grade I): Can absorb any skill if hit once with them**

]


	3. Welcome to the Tower

Baam was fiddling with the various options in his **[Status].**

He noticed soon enough that he could upgrade skills. Of course, utilization of the skills made it rise in Level, however, there was a kind of grade associated with skills.

For instance, the **[Viper Strike - Lvl 1]** had the following options:

 **[Viper Strike - Lvl 1]** ~ **[King Cobra Strike - Lvl 1]** :

\- Execute 1000 Viper Strikes (1 / 1000)

\- Disable or kill 1 person with **[Viper Strike]**

\- Sufficient level of muscle memory (Currently 0.01%)

So, he guessed that he needed to begin practicing. What was even more interesting than skills was his Trait's evolution.

 **[Consumerism]** ~ **[Royal Tribute]** :

\- Absorb 100 Skills (0 / 100)

\- Upgrade 10 of these Skills to the next grade (0 / 10)

\- Upgrade 1 of these skills to maximum grade (0 / 1)

\- ? (0/100000)

He had no idea what **[Royal Tribute]** was, but he guessed the effect must be good, right? The last requirement seemed to be locked, so Baam had no idea what it could be, though the impressive number needed to be done was indeed worrisome.

Also, his Class, which was apparently **[Axis - Game Designer]** could also be improved, but the means of doing so was still unknown, and the reward was weird.

 **[Axis - Game Designer]** ~ **[Axis - Game Design Team Leader]**

\- ?

\- ?

\- ?

Reward: Allows to choose a subclass from the following subset (Other might be unlocked as the story progresses):

\- **[Subclass: Shinsoo-smith]** (Unlocks **[Skill Tree: Creation]** )

\- **[Subclass: Class Mechanic]** (Unlocks **[Skill Tree: Customization]** )

"Is there a way to see the Skill Tree? For example **[Skill Tree: Creation]**?"

He just needed to say it aloud, and the skill tree appeared. It was really a kind of tree, with some skills at the base and the lower and lower he went, the more his eyebrows rose.

" **[Resurrection]**? **[Create Life]**?" Baam asked in wonder.

For the first skill, he needed to have the Max Grade and Maximum Level for the skill **[Cure Wounds]** which at maximum grade was **[Reverse Wounds]**. Which needed **[Time Manipulation]**. Etc…

As for the **[Create Life]** , one of the many requirements needed **[Create Homunculus]** , whose particularity was that he needed to unlock and go through the **[Job: Alchemist]** tree to the end.

Which, judging from the requirement of needing a **[Level - 40]** to unlock alchemist, was in a long, long time.

Baam sighed. It seemed like a never-ending journey, but he was motivated by the fact that each of those offered a reward which was bigger and bigger as he went down the skill tree.

Oh, which made him think, was there currently a skill tree for the **[Axis - Game Designer]** class he currently had?

There was, but it was greyed out. Apparently, he needed the **[Building the Core** ] achievement.

 **[Achievement: Building the Core]** : Requires 100 points in all the starting stats, without the help of stats buffers such as equipment (armor, weapon, etc…) or skills.

Baam sighed. It would take a looooong time.

The current floor Baam was on, the second floor, consisted in getting scouted out by one of the Twelve Families. The way of doing so was unknown, yet when some individuals showed astounding capabilities, one of the Families' agents were sure to take note and invite them to the second part of the test.

It had been three days and Baam showed no progress. In finding a scout

The town he was in was a very modern city with all the facilities expected of such. Therefore, he found without too much hassle a training dojo where he could practice his skills.

" **[Viper Strike]**!" It took 50 SP. This meant he could do 100 a day before needing to rest and again the next day.

So it would take 10 days to unlock the first step of the next tier of skill upgrade.

Fortunately, it did not take that long. Because every 2 skill levels, the requirement was lowered by 1 SP.

And after then 100 **[Viper Strikes]** he did, he got it up to level 12.

Which meant it did not cost 50 SP anymore, but 44 SP. Which meant that he could do about 13 more a day.

One week later, the skill showed this:

 **[Viper Strike - Level 78]** will evolve into **[King Cobra Strike - Level 7]** :

\- Execute 1000 Viper Strikes (1000 / 1000)

\- Disable or kill 1 person with [Viper Strike] (0/1)

\- Sufficient level of muscle memory (Currently 99.9%)

It seemed he could go no further than this 99.9% because even yesterday he was at the same degree of advancement.

 **[Malicious Intent detected. Malicious Intent detected.]**

 **[Skill - Detect Evil has been created]**

 **[Detect Evil is now Level 2]**

 **[Detect Evil is now Level 3]**

Goosebumps erupted across Baam's entire body when he left the dojo and someone barred his path with his massive body. He looked up and while the person's physique was impressive, the mix of cockiness and plain nastiness on his face was even more so.

"Hey buddy, how are you doing?"

Baam gulped. "F-Fine."

The guy grinned. "The family I want to get recruited in respects only strength. So I need to beat you to a pulp. Do you see the guy at the café there? He always observes people coming out of the gym. I could bet a pretty sum that if I beat you up, I would get recruited immediately. So don't forgive me if I kick your ass. I won't hurt you too badly."

 **[Detect Evil is now Level 5! Calculating synergies. Done! Viper Strike (auto) mode enabled]**

The thug tried to punch him, the movement was slow and instead of first jabbing, he did an ample movement to have some momentum.

Like the Viper in the skill name, Baam's arm shot out and hit the guy in the throat. Baam went pale when the guy collapsed and clawed at his throat, unable to breathe.

 **[Congratulations! Viper Strike - Level 80] evolved into [King Cobra Strike - Level 8]. Gained new perks!]**

 **[King Cobra's Strike]:**

 _You are the King. Many try to claim your crown, you claim their lives._

 _\- Apply **[Lethal Poison - Level 8]** to the victim. If this status is not cleared within 2 hours (120 minutes - Skill level minutes), death will follow._

 _\- Apply **[Paralysis - Level 8]** to the victim._

 _\- Synergy with **[Trait: Consumerism]** detected. Apply **[King's Privilege]** status effect (Linked to Lethal Poison) to the victim. If a person dies with the **[King's Privilege]** status effect still active, claim their soul._

 **[Congratulations! You uncovered one of the requirements needed for Trait augment!]**

 **[Consumerism]** ~ **[Royal Tribute]** :

\- Absorb 100 Skills (0 / 100)

\- Upgrade 10 of these Skills to the next grade (0 / 10)

\- Upgrade 1 of these skills to maximum grade (0 / 1)

\- Absorb 100,000 souls (0/100000)

Slow clapping echoed in the street. Baam turned around and saw a man walking toward him. He was the origin of the noise.

He had light blue hair and indigo eyes and more importantly was watching Baam as if he were the most interesting thing he came across since two weeks ago.

Baam was torn between casting worried glances at the man still struggling to breathe and the newcomer.

"My name is Khun Aguero Agnis. Very impressive. We don't often see movements like these around those parts," Khun whistled.

Baam blushed and gave him his name. Quickly afterward, Baam asked him, "Mr. Khun, can you help him?"

Khun nodded and Baam heaved a relieved sigh. The guy seemed to be unconscious for some reason. Khun went to the man's side, touched his throat and raised an eyebrow. He took the man's right hand in his own, secured his closed fist around the man's pinky and swiftly broke it. His other eyebrow rose when there was no reaction.

Baam was aghast. That was no way to treat a person!

Khun took out something from his suitcase, which was revealed as a weapon,, and swiftly beheaded the man.

Baam stood in shock there, wide-eyed, as everything went too fast for him.

Seeing the look he sent him, Khun rolled his eyes. "You destroyed his trachea with your strike, he was choking to death and would have died in any case. Even if he didn't, somehow his nervous system seemed to have been tremendously injured. So if he got out alive in a hospital, he would still be paralyzed, or at the very least brain-damaged since no oxygen would have gone to his brain for a certain amount of time.

"I did as you asked, I helped him. I helped him end his suffering."

Khun smiled then. It was a grim, resigned smile.

"Welcome to the Tower, 25th Baam. I am Khun Aguero Agnis, and I am the scout from the Khun family. I was impressed by your performance. How about we tag along for the next step?"

 **[Progression of the Consumerism Trait Upgrade: 0,0000025%]**

Somehow, this was the only notification Baam was not happy about.


	4. A story must be told until the end (1)

**[2 hours later]**

Khun and Baam were eating some **[Ice cream]** , seated at a table in front of an ice cream parlor. There was some kind of advertisement playing on the **[TV screen]** the stall owner was watching, with a man with crimson hair laughing uproariously, the flashing words "Buy or be lame, Celestial Galaxy-Destroying Boxing Gloves! It takes just one easy payment for me to whup your ass! Only XXXX coins, limited offer." distracting Khun who sighed.

"I wonder where they find these kinds of people for ads. In any case, welcome to my team. You are currently the first one I've found. The rules have certainly been explained to you at the entrance."

Baam nodded, his hands folded on his lap. He remembered seeing some kind of writing on a plank of wood.

They boiled down to the following. Find 2 other teammates. Be scouted by a family. Pass the family test.

"Mr. Khun, you are from one of the Twelve Families. Shouldn't you get a kind of… free pass?"

Baam thought it made sense that his own family would not test him. Khun chuckled softly, brushing back a bang of cyan hair. He took the spoon out of his ice cream cup, and put it in his mouth as he hummed. Dragging it out, he said, "Most people would think so. The truth is, our family relationships are so twisted it's not even funny.

"In the Tower, you have twelve Kings. Twelves Noble Families, each of whom is equal to royalty, like the one before the Conquest. My family happens to be one of them. My father sired a lot of children, with many different wives. So what would happen in a territory with no jurisdiction, where you have many siblings, all vying for power, and very loosely blood-related?

Baam clenched his hands.

"Murder. Slaughter. Factions wars. Plots, ploys, backstabbing, bribes, should I go on? So how would it make sense for the supervisor, who might not even be from my faction, to give me a free pass? More likely is that he'd try to obliterate me. It'd have been different if there were an emperor ruling over them all, but well… Not gonna happen anytime soon. And - Oh, seems like we have some visit," Khun said, looking to the side.

 **[Strong bloodlust detected!]**

 **[Strong bloodlust detected!]**

Baam jolted on his seat as his body automatically coiled, his senses tingling. Simultaneously, Khun's hand rose shielding them with the suitcase he seemed to carry everywhere, and Baam's hand shot out. A projectile impacted with Khun's suitcase, bounced off, and Baam's hand caught it with the **[King Cobra's Strike]** and shot it back in the direction it came from. It seemed that there was a strong association between enemy bloodlust and inmities, and the activation of his skill.

A deep, dark chuckle echoed and the ground shook as footsteps echoed, louder and louder in the small street. A person who was seated at the table between theirs and the enemy grunted as he was roughly pushed aside, the wood from the table splintering and breaking as it was stepped over by a kind of giant…

"Is that a crocodile?" Khun said incredulously as the newcomer came into sight.

"I am Rak Wraithraiser! Puny turtles, you have whetted my appetite," a reptilian tongue shot out and licked a trail of blood on the huge creature's cheek. "It's been a while since some turtles managed to put up somewhat of a fight. The thrill of the hunt is the highest when the prey fights back before being devoured." A huge grin split his face in two.

The creature's skin was grey. It was over ten feet tall, all the corporal mass shaped into anthropomorphic, bulging muscle. Its chest swelled and contracted quickly, and its eyes seemed to be dilated in some kind of euphoria, as it clenched a spear.

 **[Tremendous bloodlust detected!]**

Baam's hands began to shake.

 **[Skill Gamer's Mind Lv. MAX clears your confusion!]**

Before immediately unclenching, a kind of tension evaporated and his body sagged visibly.

"Oh? This black turtle isn't afraid of me. Even the blue turtle is tense," Rak said, rubbing his chin with a clawed hand. It bent down, its gigantic head a few inches from Baam's own, as it observed him

Khun's eyes darted to Baam. He frowned. This was a little strange. It was almost like he had an on-off switch making strong emotions come off at a flick of a finger. He had noticed it also earlier, when Baam had fought the thug.

Meanwhile, Baam's eyes widened slightly as a message appeared in front of him.

[Path-split quest!

 _The Hunter, Rak Wraithraiser, is thirsting for a worthy challenge. Defeat him, and he will join you. Don't, and you'll die._

Completion rewards:

Gain teammate

 **[Disliked]** ~ **[Liked]** Relationship Status change with **[Rak Wraithraiser]**.

 **[Neutral]** ~ **[Favorable]** Relationship Status change with **[Khun A.A.]**

Unlocks the **[Path to Godhood]** Feats of Strength Tree

Failure rewards:

Death

]

Baam pondered how he would go about to do it.

It was at this point in time that the store owner came in, frowning. "Look, I don't care if you fight until only one remains, but who is going to pay me back for the damage you caused? And I mean actual coin valid here, not monkey currency from the Noble Houses," the man said casting a contemptuous glance at Khun. "If I wanted to get paid in bananas, I'd open a fruit shop," the man said.

The crocodile's ear twitched. Khun frowned. "Of course I'd not pay you in banana *twitch* but it's hardly my fault if your ice cream *stomach growl* parlor is located in basically a warzone."

Khun smirked then. "Oh, crocodile, you look like you're hungry. How about joining us until the next step, just for the test, then we'll all go our merry way."

A deafening sound which made everyone wince shot out of Rak's throat. "I'm the Hunter, Rak Wraithraiser! Whence I come, you hunt or you're a turtle! You're turtles, why would **I** team up with you? A Wraithraiser doesn't team up with prey, be they blue or black turtles!"

"But are you not hungry, Rak-nim? The banana *twitch* and chocolate ice cream *twitch twitch* is really good, you know. Don't you want to try some?" Baam asked curiously, having also heard Rak's stomach growl.

Rak stopped for a moment, before shaking his head. "The only way my hunger will be sated is when I bring back trophies from this hunt. Your heads will do nicely."

"Sure, but first have a taste of this." Khun said, waving a spoon full of delicious, dripping ice cream.

* * *

 **[5 minutes later]**

 **[Quest success!]**

Baam got the notification, when they were on the kind of transportations means which would carry them to one of the Noble Houses for the test; the Khun examination center. They had been making idle chatter as the kind of spaceship swerved around and flew with all the grace and subtlety of a drunk swan.

"Khun-nim. Can I ask a question?"

Khun nodded, somewhat distracted by the alligator who was very noisily munching on some peanuts he somehow acquired.

"I saw something weird somewhere. Do you know what an Axis is?"

Khun frowned and shook his head. "Hmm, I can't say this rings a bell. Well I know what an axis of symmetry is for instance, but I don't reckon you're talking about this?"

Baam laughed and just shook it off. This was weird. He had seen no mention of it anywhere. He thought at first that this was due to the fact that the book he assimilated had only the bare bones of information. But Khun was one of the most knowledgeable people in the tower, being from one of the Noble Houses, and yet he still ignored it.

Baam looked out the window. Clouds were floating lazily, swirling in a breeze, stretching like cotton candy.

It was a nice day.

There was a huge rumbling and a flash of light and a terrible heat consuming him before everything went black.

 **[You died]**

 **[Error: source of death non-valid (Non-Axis). Classification… system bug. Patching. Reverting changes. Removing erroneous line of code… Done!]**

 **[Compensation for the bug: 10 Free Stat Points! We're doing our utmost to help prevent bugs from happening, but without a Game Designer, accidents such as these are bound to happen. Please forgive us for any discomfort and inconvenience. Your (overworked) PR Team.]**

Baam did not understand what happened.

* * *

In some remote and forgotten place which predates the Tower, a monstrous being's senses awakened.

A morphing grin showing far too many teeth as an appendage lolled around. The air buzzed with excitement, as all his tales and recountings sang with joy, the records writhing as they thrashed against their cages.

"A story? There? From whom?"

This voice belonged to Phantaminum, the first ranked being in the Tower. A God compared to its denizens, really, for they were an Axis; a very powerful one at that. Axes are beings who can only be defeated by Axes of higher ranks. Using some literature analogy, Axes were put in charge of telling a story. The story must be told until the end and should not be disturbed, wherefore their invulnerability stemmed. Otherwise an author who knew how the story ends could also tell their tale in their stead, so they could potentially kill them.

He felt around the telling field of the Tower's story using Shinsoo, and laughed maniacally when he got feedback from the lower floors. Irregular. Axis irregular.

"Awakened! Awakened! Interesting, interesting, interesting, interesting! Ha!"

Phantaminum cocked their appendages. "Should I pay him a visit? Hmmm…"

Phantaminum grabbed their weapon, one never before seen, for it was an Author's tool, and authors have their trade secrets. Finally, they put it down.

"No, he's still immature. An aspiring author. His tale is yet young. When he reaches the next stage, though… I'd like to discuss with him. Trade records maybe?"

Then his senses went off, the excitement having died down, leaving him slumbering amidst all the Talse Uzer whirlwind of orthogonally winding story. Waiting for the day where all stories ended. Because whenever a story ends, a new one begins.

 **[Chapter 4 - End]**

* * *

A.N.: Sorry if the ending made no sense, it's somewhat convoluted to explain, but I promise it'll make sense :)

Cheers!


	5. In the Khun Garden

With all the influx of information in the last dozen minutes, Baam had somewhat lost track of the things he was supposed to check. It would've been nice if he could somehow access the information that popped up

[History:

\- Unlocked [Path to Godhood] feat of strength.

\- 10 Free stat points to distribute. ]

Let's check this path to Godhood, Baam thought, as gaudy as that title seemed.

[Path to Godhood:

 _A God exists only because people believe in them. As you rally sheep to the flock, your power and influence grows._

 **Current number of allies: 4 (1)**

 **Currently revered by: 0**

Bonus:

 **\- 4% increase in all stats.**

 **\- 0.4% increase in stats gaining speed**

 **\- 0.4% increase in skill training speed**

Skills - Locked

 **Designer Points available: 1** ]

A screech from the engine as well as some shaking that made the flying vessel tip precariously on one side, while the pilot announced that they would be there within two minutes.

Baam closed the screen. What are designer points? What were they used for?

 **[FAQ:**

 **\- What are Designer Points?**

 **\- How can I earn Designer Points?**

 **\- What can I buy with Designer Points?**

 **….**

 _(Search ended up with 308 results, selected 3 most relevant ones_ _)_ **]**

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Khun said, his gaze leaving the window showing a vast palace and inner court with luxurious gardens and blooming flowers.

Baam shook his head and smiled gently. "Just trying to organize my thoughts. It's all very novel to me."

Khun chuckled and nodded. "I can guess that. The noble families are quite voraciously guarding information about the happenings in the tower. Not really an Omerta, but something quite alike. Information in this world can be worth more than gold. You can't save your life with coins if you fall into an ambush and the bandits don't accept it, you can save it by avoiding the ambush altogether with foreknowledge."

Baam could understand the wisdom behind the words. He beamed. "You're smart."

Khun sighed but flicked Baam's forehead, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. "And you are too naive for your own good."

"Come now turtles, it's not mating season yet!" Rak's voice boomed as he stepped off the plane, ripping the metallic door like wet paper. It seemed like wherever he came from, door handles did not exist. Neither did doors, probably.

Khun spluttered indignantly, his cheeks becoming an interesting shade of pink. "I was not hitting on you." Khun said, just to make sure.

"What's mating? Of course you were not hitting me, why would you? We're friends, right?" Baam asked innocently.

"Nobody ever told you about the birds and bees?" Khun asked incredulously, the color fading slightly.

"I read about them in a book. What do birds and bees have in common, besides flying?"

Khun slapped his forehead. He was not having this talk, not now, and hopefully not ever. Rak was grumbling outside so Khun simply told Baam he would explain later, and also jumped off the plane.

Baam cocked his head. Was there some subtext he was missing?

He followed them outside and was greeted by the blinding light of the sun and flashes of color from his peripheral vision. There was a path made of carefully hewn stone, which Khun told him was a special kind of marble, and it was tastefully decorated by some square gardens, artfully dotted with thousands of vibrantly colored flowers, and sprawling trees with perfectly cut branches and not one leaf out of place. Birds sang and the trills of various animals reached them, as some more exotic creatures like Ghost Foxes passed through trees, and even Shinsoo Eels jumped out of the many ponds intermittently with neon, checker-patterned fishes caught in their huge maws.

The gardens were separated from the path by fences, flanking it. Midway from the landing spot to the Khun Examination Center - which looked more like a palace-mansion hybrid - a huge fountain poured out some kind of liquid. It was not really water, it was much too thick for it to be, almost viscous in its consistency.

"It's a Shinsoo fountain," Khun answered his unasked question. "Having a drink from it will refill your strength and wash away any fatigue. Extravaganza has always been a leitmotiv of the Noble Houses. It costs more than an average person could earn in a hundred lives."

"You don't like it?" Baam asked. He felt something like scorn in the voice.

"There's nothing to like or dislike. It's this way, and it's not gonna change anytime soon unless someone claims _his_ head." Khun resumed walking, Baam following quickly in his steps while Rak was off the side, trying to spear the fishes swimming in a pond with his weapon and an unconscious application of Shinsoo. It was a kind of fishing technique native to his island.

"You said _his_ head. Who is _he_?"

Khun slowed down slightly, tilting his head to the side as a small, sad smile stretched his lips. "You're awfully curious. It's better if you stay ignorant of these kinds of businesses. Besides, it's not your responsibility to fix it."

Off the side Rak was being attacked by a Shinsoo Jay, some kind of mutated Blue Jay - only green in color - and a Mother Shinsoo Eel joined in the fray, harassing him. The seaborn predator was twice the size of Rak, forcing him to quickly cut his losses.

Baam felt strangely affected by the words. He only wanted to know what made Mr. Khun uncomfortable. He always looked as if he had too much weight on his shoulders. But he was right.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to be so…" He couldn't find the right word.

Khun laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry, it's nice that you care. But you should be more worried about the test awaiting us. You will meet him in any case, when we reach the upper floors."

Baam nodded resolutely.

Rak jumped over the fence, displaying stunning nimbleness and agility for someone his size. The Shinsoo Jay was still clenching the back of his head, trying to bite off his head, but the alligator was thick-skulled so it merely had its beak wide open, its body tilted on the side, the upper part and lower part of his jaw each resting on the left and right side of Rak's skull respectively. Rak grabbed its neck, pulled and held the creature in front of him, roared to make it understand who was the better predator, and the creature fled in fright.

"Alright, lead the way, turtles. This place is tricky," said Rak, trying to catch his breath after his recent strenuous activities.

"There's a fence for a reason, crocodile. Whatever, the sooner we get this done with, the sooner I can get rid of you," Khun said, shaking his head despondently.

Ignoring the complaints pouring out of the grey-skinned crocodile's mouth like the Shinsoo out of the fountain they just passed by, Khun, Baam and Rak were stopped at the entrance to the manor. Not physically stopped, or ordered to by someone. There was a giant, heavy looking, though finely decorated door, and no door handle.

The door was simply locked and a painting on the massive gold-gilded door, shaped like a lightning bolt was there in lieu of the door handle.

"It's not a measly door that's going to stop a Wraithraiser!" Rak grunted, his muscles bulging and his spear clenched in his hand. He dropped his weapon then, and took a standard punching stance, his dominant foot in front. Gyrating his hips to give him impulsion, he cocked back his fist and launched a devastating haymaker.

"I wouldn't do that if I were-"

"ARGH!" Rak screamed bloody murder, his body shocked with a high voltage when his fist made contact with the door which, predictably, did not budge an inch. He fell to his side, twitching intermittently.

"...you," Khun finished. Once again he lamented his choice of teammates. Baam was ok, but the crocodile on the other hand… Well he probably had redeeming qualities, he shouldn't judge too harshly, though thinking things through did not seem to be his strong suit.

"What's this sign on the door?" Baam asked.

"A protection sigil. Khun Ran's father, probably, or someone of his faction. They're the ones mostly dealing with raw electricity for containment, non-lethal purposes."

"How are we supposed to get to the testing area then?" asked Baam.

"Ah," Khun said, his eyes creasing in contemplation. "You misunderstand something slightly. This is the testing area. No, more than that… Let me tell you the purpose of this floor. It is made as a kind of pre-recruitment by the Noble Families. Each of them look for a quality, and this is done to find vassals once the regulars ascend to their own domains, at the top of the tower. Of course, they would not purposefully offer vassalage to somebody not sharing their qualities, the ones they value. So each of them look for one particular quality in potential candidates. The Arie family would look for someone proficient with bladed weapons. The Po Bi Dau, someone with affinity toward simultaneously Shinsoo handling and also a keen mind for research."

"Then what 'particularity' does the Khun family look for?" Baam asked, helping Rak get back to his feet, nearly collapsing when the guy's weight fell on his shoulders, as the Wraithraiser faltered in his step. Finally Rak shook his head and managed to stand, a little nonplussed but not disheartened. He now saw the door as a kind of powerful predator you need to be wary of.

"Being a douchebag," Khun answered with a serious face. He cracked up and cackled when Baam took him seriously. "I'm joking, gosh, you're unbelievable. We value coldhearted determination and cleverness. We all tend to be highly proficient Jeonsulsa too. Lightning wielders. As you saw the lightning symbol on the door," Khun nodded toward it.

Baam nodded. This made sense. "Then how are we supposed to get inside?"

"That's the million coin question. There is something strange. If I remember correctly, Khun Hachuling is in charge of administering the test right now. His particularity is that… he's a huge geek. I mean, he really, really likes playing video games and is quite proficient at it, to boot. The original idea was to have this stage as a kind of playing field to solve a mystery, to test the challenger's wits and mettle."

"What kind of mystery?"

Khun shrugged. "Closed room murder, escape game, it could be anything, really. The baseline is to solve the mystery. I'm not close enough to him to know what kind of game he set up."

"Closed room murder? Oh. It explains that." Baam said as if something made sense. Khun frowned.

"Explains what?" A suspicious, nagging feeling began to squirm its way inside Khum.

"When we were on the 'plane', I felt a huge heat and pain, but then it went away. I thought it was weird, then I received a notification that I died and-"

"Alright, alright, I messed up, shoooorrryyyy" A childish, whiny voice cried out from the other side of the door, as it was pushed open.

A streak of blue and white blurred passed Khun and Rak and glomped Baam. It was weird to see an adult sobbing and holding him like a teddy bear, but Baam took it in stride and awkwardly patted his back.

"I wuz not s'possed to kill ya but the spaceship program is an auto-adaptive artificial intelligence, and it was only supposed to put everybody to sleep while I set up the crime scene, but it classified you a threat and then it went Kaboom and - wait, how are you still alive?"

"You died?" Khun asked, now processing fully what Baam said.

"What's a notification?" Rak asked simultaneously, tilting his huge reptilian head.

Baam was overwhelmed with all the questions pouring out of the three males.


End file.
